


Broken Promise

by apostate_anima



Series: Black Heart Inertia [2]
Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Comfort, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Lu Desei, Original Character(s), Original Female Drell Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-22
Updated: 2017-05-22
Packaged: 2018-11-03 12:37:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10967382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apostate_anima/pseuds/apostate_anima
Summary: After a chaotic mission, APEX strike team member, Lu Desei, comes out bearing a new scar after a brush with death. The Resistance leader is none too pleased.





	Broken Promise

**Prompt:** _"It wouldn’t be the first time you broke a promise.”_

* * *

 

The moment the Tempest landed on Aya, Evfra stalked towards the ship. Jaal had already informed him of what happened on the way, how they intercepted the APEX strike team shuttle so that Dr. T’Perro could offer better care for Lu, given her broad knowledge on multiple Milky Way species. Apparently she was stable but he would be damned if he didn’t make sure of this with his own eyes.

Jaal had met him out in the landing pad, leading him into the Tempest, and assuring him Lu was resting but otherwise fine. Ryder, for once, had remained quiet when he walked past her and her twin–they had matters to discuss but even she knew that could wait. After a fair warning from Lexi to let Lu rest, he was finally allowed into the medbay.

He lost track of time while he remained sitting by her side while she slept. Idly he let a hand rest over her good one, thumb stroking slow circles over the back of her hand. It had a been a while since this fear of loss had gripped him and he knew that was why he had stopped letting anyone get so close. Still…the thought of not having her close made his heart ache. He thought, perhaps, the victories against the kett after Meridian had truly given him a semblance of hope.

When she stirred next to him, he broke out of his thoughts, coming to a stand and nearly hovering over her as she opened her eyes, groaning. After getting used to the light, her eyes focused on him, offering a half-hearted smile.

“Hey…” she croaked out, her voice hoarse from disuse.

Evfra was silent for a moment, giving her hand a gentle squeeze instead. “How are you feeling?”

Absentmindedly, she inspected her right arm held up in a sling around her neck, quickly recalling that was due to the broken collar bone. She then lightly touched the coverings over the slash on the right side of her neck–the wound that nearly killed her. Lu looked straight up at the ceiling, eyes shifting side to side as if searching for what to say. “Like a ship landed on me and then a Fiend threw me around like a rag doll.”

He narrowed his eyes at her, “You’d be dead.”

“Hyperbole,” she huffed, pulling her good hand from his grip and tugging on his upper arm instead, trying to pull herself up. “Help me sit up a bit?”

After helping her adjust the bed so she could be in a half-sitting position, he kept staring at her gravely the whole time, letting out an exasperated breath through his nose.

Lu tilted her head just slightly, squinting her eyes at him suspiciously. “What?”

“You promised you would be careful,” he sighed, dropping his gaze.

She huffed, a tired smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. “I’ll try not to break that promise next time,” she retorted, a hint of playfulness in her rumbling tone.

He rose his gaze to her again, nose twitching in the way it did when he was bothered by something. “It wouldn’t be the first time you broke a promise…” Evfra looked none too pleased, frown deepening.

At that accusation, her brow pulled together in confusion, leering at him, her irises barely visible, only pools of black boring through his skull. “Uh…when? And don’t lie, I’ll recall the memories perfectly, you know this.”

“And angara are not good liars, you know this,” he replied instantly. “You…Hmph. You’re usually making these promises about staying safe and end up hurt more than…” he pauses, glancing away with a grunt. “More than I would like. Though I would rather you not get hurt at all…” he looked at her in earnest.

“Is that why you’re grumpier than usual?” she asked. Shaking her head, she gave him an exasperated look. “Evfra, I can’t exactly see the future, I have no control of those promises actually sticking through all the time.”

“Then why make them?” he retorted, tone still grave.

Lu opened her mouth and closed it, gaze shifting as realization dawned itself upon her features. “Shit, this is some cultural misunderstanding, isn’t it?” With a sigh, she let her head drop back against the pillow. “Look, some people, like me, say that more as a ‘I’ll try my best to stay safe’ rather than a ‘I will definitely stay safe and nothing will happen to me’ kind of deal…” she explained calmly as she could. Looking at him sincerely, she reached for his hand and went on, “I’m guessing promises like that hold more weight to angara, hm?”

Evfra sighed yet didn’t neglect her touch, squeezing her clawed hand. His gaze held hers, frown softening just slightly as they talked out this misunderstanding regarding ‘promises’. “Yes. Which is why we don’t make them,”

“Stay clear? Stay strong?” she asked and he quirked an eye ridge questioningly, clearly not seeing where she was going with that. “That’s why your people say those words, right? More…realistic, I’m guessing.”

“In a way, yes,” he released a breath and went on, “We live in the present, Lu. We have to if we’ve any chance of winning against the kett. We can’t dally on thoughts of our possible future if we don’t survive our present first.”

Lu’s brow ridges rose, understanding finding its way to her gaze. “Makes sense…Sorry for the misunderstanding then,” she huffed, squeezing his hand reassuringly. “Didn’t mean to make you worry.”

He sighed and shook his head. “You don’t need to apologize. Should have asked you why you made impossible promises to begin with.”

She chuckled, wincing when she action pulled on her neck wound. “Yeah, you should have. But it’s alright…I’ll live.”

“The asari doctor said you’re lucky to be alive,” his tone was grave once more, recalling Lexi’s words and feeling a cold shiver run up his spine. Surely she felt the surge of bioelectricity he failed to contain from his worry. “An inch deeper and…”

“Her name is Lexi and yeah, I’m aware…” she cleared her throat and continued, “I pro—…I’ll try to be more careful, Evfra. Asshole caught me by surprise…” With a frown she briefly dropped her gaze before looking up at him again, a glint in her eyes. “…But he got it worse,” she smirked.

“So I was told…” he replied, picturing the ways in which he would have made that kett suffer. At least it pleased him to know that his lover was tenacious even when gravely wounded. “How long are you out of commission for?”

“According to Lexi, around 2 weeks standard time. Why?”

“You could stay here in Aya during this time,” he suggested, keeping his tone even. “If you wished to.”

A smile slowly found its way to her mutely colored lips. “Why the invitation? Want to make sure I heal well?” she quirked an amused brow.

“Don’t make me regret the offer,” he grunted out. “Perhaps I just wish to spend more time with the alien who has somehow captured my…affections.”

“I’d love to,” she pulled his hand up to her lips, lightly pecking his knuckles, amused by the way he huffed and glanced away, pursing his lips tight. “But Kandros is probably gonna have me do paperwork.”

“You can do paperwork from Aya,” he was quick to add. “And you can aid the Resistance without actually fighting. ”

“Fine, fine, I yield. I’ll sell the idea to Kandros, he’ll bite,” she winked. “You really know how to play a drell lady, Evfra.”

“Play?”

“Expression. Where would I stay though?” she inquired, knowing the answer but wishing to tease a bit.

She only got her answer in the form of a rare smirk. At least, rare to the public eye. The gods knew she’d seen it more than a fair amount of times since they began their cross-species liaison. 

Leaning down, he closed the distance between them, pressing his lips to hers in a soft, slow kiss, a silent promise that he would be safe with him.

* * *

 

I'm always open to more prompts, send some [here](http://animarosa.tumblr.com/tagged/prompts) if you want!


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